Marcel Malanga grew up in Utah celebrating his typical American life as a star high school football player posing for loving pics with his family — while also documenting a dark side toting weapons and cash and calling himself a “Warbaby.”

On Sunday, the 21-year-old was one of three Americans detained in a wild plot to overthrow the Congolese government — led by his 41-year-old dad, Christian Malanga, who was shot dead in the failed uprising.

Authorities are still trying to untangle how Malanga went from posting family pics in Christmas PJs — to looking terrified while surrounded by soldiers after the doomed plot to unseat Felix Tshiekedi, the leader of one of Africa’s largest countries.

“This was an innocent boy following his father,” Marcel’s mom, Brittney Sawyer, insisted in a Facebook post.

The mom regularly posted photos of her son in typical scenes, including tender moments with his family as well as celebratory ones at his high school, especially with his football team in Salt Lake City. Other pics showed him lifting weights and dancing.

He also seemed destined to have an equally routine future, seemingly settling in to follow his father in working as a car salesman.

But there were signs that he saw himself as anything but a typical kid — one instead destined for conflict, again like his father, who was exiled from his native Congo in 2012 after an earlier failed coup

In one pic of him as a baby-faced child, he posed with a rifle and ‘WARBABY” in big red letters.

In another more recent photo, he referred to himself as “WARCEL,” and shared photos and videos on his Instagram story of him and his father with guns.

For Father’s Day last year, he also shared a childhood snap of himself with his dad, along with the cryptic caption “honored to have you as my earthly father. I can’t wait to change the world with you.”

Marcel’s last Instagram post dated March 16 showed him behind the wheel of a Tesla with a fanned-out stack of dollar bills by his side, as well as a selfie of him wielding a handgun at the camera.

He also shared information about diamonds he was supposedly selling and opined about Christianity and women.

In May 2023, Marcel posted on Facebook asking if any of his connections had friends or family in the “oilfield industry.”

While Marcel’s involvement came as a shock, his father has a history of such revolt before he was shot dead Sunday.

Christian Malanga moved from the Congo to the US as part of a refugee resettlement program in the late 1990s, going on to work as a car salesman.

The father of eight eventually returned to his native country to serve as an officer fending off rebels.

He was exiled in 2012 following an initial failed coup – but continued to refer to himself as the president of the “New Zaire” government.

The coup attempt began at the Kinshasa residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo. His guards killed the attackers, officials said.

Christian Malanga, meanwhile, was live-streaming video from the presidential palace in which he is seen surrounded by several people in military uniforms wandering around in the middle of the night. He was later killed while resisting arrest, Congolese authorities said.

His son was then seen looking terrified with his hands raised while surrounded by Congolese soldiers.

“I’m so tired of all the videos being post all over and being sent to me,” his mom said online. “God will take care of you people! Karmas a bitch!” 

It wasn’t clear how Christian Malanga had recruited the other Americans for his ill-fated attack on the Congolese state. 

Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun was apparently connected to Marcel’s father through a gold mining company – suggesting that the uprising itself may have had ties to either or both industries.

The third American was identified Tuesday as Taylor Thomson. It is unclear how he was connected.

With Post wires