In the past, Cooper's attacks were almost always carried out personally. At most, he'd rope in a few friends he had decent relationships with to join in. A number of his friends were film critics, and they had their methods for picking things apart. When they banded together to bash her, they could be quite formidable.
But as Cooper's credibility kept sinking, more and more people began to frown upon how he always targeted Laila. Consequently, his influence in Hollywood began to wane, and even his so-called critic "buddies" started to distance themselves from him.
Still, he kept rolling up his sleeves and charging in like a man possessed, determined to drag Laila through the mud. So to think that someone like him had suddenly gotten smart and started hiring internet trolls? Laila honestly found it a bit hard to believe.
If it wasn't Cooper, then who else would attack her through movie criticism? She really couldn't figure it out.
Could it be Warner Bros.? That wasn't exactly impossible. After all, they were about to become direct competitors, and no one would be more eager than Warner to see Laila's film flop.
Looking at the comments, many of the sharper points revolved around Green Lantern. Claims that he was more popular, that the world-building was grander and more interesting, and that his powers were stronger than other superheroes'—all of them were boosting Green Lantern by putting down the superheroes in The Avengers.
Frankly, the evidence was pretty blatant—strong enough to suggest Warner Bros. had a hand in it. But Laila, being someone who always liked to overanalyze things, figured if it was Warner, they probably wouldn't be this obvious.
Not to sound arrogant, but she believed that anyone who'd worked with her even once would want to work with her again. After all, the recent collaboration on The Dark Knight had brought obvious benefits to the two companies involved. Calling it a pleasant partnership wouldn't be an exaggeration. So would they go so far as to burn bridges?
Then again, thinking about how they had deliberately scheduled their release before hers—it already looked like a deliberate move to go all-in. In that light, hiring trolls to smear her and her movie to make theirs look better didn't seem all that far-fetched after all.
Going round and round in circles, Laila ended up giving herself a headache. She had to shelve the matter for now and decided to let her team investigate once she got back to the company.
Still, it would be just an investigation—she had no plans to completely silence those voices.
Like she always said: controversy breeds attention. Even though those remarks kept comparing the two films and overwhelmingly sided with Green Lantern while trashing her movie, fans and moviegoers weren't so easily swayed.
Sure, a small portion might be influenced, but the majority would still use their own eyes and ears to judge the final product.
Laila's earlier trailers had been a massive success, sparking interest in many viewers. Even just from the trailers, it was clear the film wasn't nearly as bad as those people were claiming.
So in the end, the trolls would only affect a small group—and that group probably wouldn't have contributed to her box office numbers anyway.
But Laila was never someone to let negative commentary spread unchecked. If she didn't manage the situation, and people ended up thinking she'd made a terrible film, it would be a loss she couldn't afford. Besides, she needed to use some troll tactics herself to stir up publicity.
Having been here for over a decade now, this might be the first time she was formally going to battle with internet trolls. She had to admit—it was kind of exciting.
In her past life, she'd always taken criticism in stride—not because she didn't care, but because she was powerless to do anything about it. Back then, it was always the companies backing her who hired the trolls to stir up buzz. Whether it was positive or negative hype, it had little to do with her as the director.
But now that she had enough leverage in her own hands, there was no way she'd pass up this golden opportunity to make waves.
So the next day, the moment she arrived at the office, she gave the order to start building hype for The Avengers.
When it comes to movie promotions, there are only so many traditional tactics—ads, trailers, sending the cast on promotional tours, or appearing on popular shows. Be it TV, radio, or the now-rising internet programs, these were the standard tools in the promotional playbook.
But Laila's approach? Way more aggressive. She had access to publicity strategies that were 10 to 20 years ahead of the curve—and she wasn't afraid of negative press. When it came to stirring up heat, she'd toss her dignity right out the window.
This time, for The Avengers, she played the soft article game.
What's a soft article? It's not a blatant advertisement—nothing that screams "buy this!" at first glance. Sometimes you read one and don't even realize it's promoting anything. It could look like a story, a personal anecdote, or something else entirely.
Most people hate ads, especially when they interrupt a show you're invested in. In the days when commercials were randomly inserted mid-broadcast, it was every drama fan's nightmare.
But soft articles were different. They'd start with an eye-catching topic—like those old stories about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts. After reeling you in with drama, they'd casually mention a product. The reader, drawn in by the story, would unknowingly remember the brand. That's the mark of a successful soft article.
That's exactly what Laila aimed to do this time. She picked a few hot-button topics guaranteed to stir debate.
Soon, articles filled with complaints and drama quietly began appearing online. For instance, on Facebook, a young woman posted about how her boyfriend hit her—and even attached photos of bruises on her chest and waist.
The girl was beautiful, and the bruises were in rather suggestive areas. Instantly, she attracted a crowd. Commenters flooded in, yelling for her to dump the guy and find a gentle, caring new man.
Then the girl added that she'd also hit him, and his injuries were no less severe.
A bunch of "insiders" chimed in, asking, "Weren't you two always super sweet? Everyone envied your relationship—what happened?"
Turns out, the couple were comic book nerds who got into a fight over whether Captain America or Iron Man was stronger. Unable to convince each other, things escalated to a physical brawl.
And right on cue, the comments lit up again: "If you really wanna know who's stronger, isn't it simple? They're both in Laila's new movie, The Avengers! Just wait for that!"
Similar topics began surfacing across various platforms. Each one featured a pretty girl, a controversial story, or a highly engaging setup. And in every single one, the name The Avengers popped up.
So, while the masses eagerly gawked at the drama, The Avengers was already lodged in their minds.