Twitter Bots Are Being Used to Attack Sony Over Spider-Man

Marvel fans are still upset about the news that Spider-Man might not be able to be apart of the [...]

By Aaron Perine

Marvel fans are still upset about the news that Spider-Man might not be able to be apart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe anymore. Some dedicated Internet sleuths have revealed that some of the fans mad online about the Web-Slinger's predicament are more sketchy than they seem. A #SaveSpiderManFromSony hashtag has begun trending on Twitter recently. Upon further inspection, many of the accounts voicing their displeasure seem to be Twitter bots.

The hashtag stated as an effort for fans to voice their displeasure about Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios reaching an impasse during negotiations for the film rights for Spider-Man. On Tuesday, reports surfaced that the deal that allowed the Wall-Crawler to appear alongside the other Avengers was no more. The Internet was quick to voice their outrage over the move and people made a number of hilarious video edits and photoshops calling out the situation.

Now it appears that a certain amount of the vitriol headed Sony's way is at least at the hands of some outside force. Numerous accounts are parroting the same message at the company about coming back to the negotiation table and let the fans continue to enjoy the character in the MCU. With a careful eye, it looks as though this could be a part of a nefarious effort to bend Sony toward reconciliation. There are no concrete details about the bots at the time of writing, so there is no evidence that Disney is behind all of this.

Still, it is a strange look that amidst all the legitimate fan outcry about the decision someone decided to fan the flames with all of these dummy accounts. If this is indeed a fan effort, the entire enterprise looks a little shaky as things like this might weaken their cause. There is no question that fans are upset, but this makes all of the righteous energy feel more flimsy than it should.

Outside of Twitter, other fans are planning creative ways to protest. As we've recently reported, an Facebook event to rescue the Web-Slinger recently appeared. "Storm Sony And Bring Spider-Man Home To The MCU" is here for one reason: Rush up on Sony Pictures in solidarity while dressed in Spider-Man costumes. Fans aren't playing around about rescuing the Wall-Crawler.

There were only 12 attendees in the first hour, but that number has ballooned to almost 3000 in the 24 hours since. Halloween is the date of the event, but much like the hilarious Area 51 raid, it's probably safe to say that it will live on as a meme. In the discussion on the page, most fans are just sharing news and reaction images. Plans to boycott the Sony movies involving the character have been discussed in multiple online fan communities as well. Nothing is more emblematic of 2019 than watching this all unfold in real-time. Now, there's even some legitimate conspiracy theory fodder in there for good measure.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is now in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in spring 2021, Loki in spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If? In summer 2021, Hawkeye in fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021.

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