Marvel Comics covered the internet in sticky strands of speculation this week by teasing some big Spider-Man news with a countdown written in webbing. The first teaser showed the number four spun in threads from a black spider, and then once per day following came the three, two, one -- culminating with the news: JJ Abrams is co-writing a new Spider-Man mini-series ... with his son, 21 year-old Henry Abrams.



When Spider-Man fans think Marvel is giving them Raimi, but they get JJ Abrams instead: pic.twitter.com/acLCkybrOl — Jeremy Conrad (@ManaByte) June 20, 2019

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Wait, so it's not a Spider-Man/FF crossover?!? You mean, it's not a comic adaptation of Spider-Man 4?!? I told you, you will not see this one coming! #MarvelComics https://t.co/6DAoq1Vx1U — C.B. Cebulski (@CBCebulski) June 17, 2019



When Marvel start the #SpiderMan countdown at 4, teasing a Raimi Spider-Man 4 comic... But then it's just a JJ Abrams mini series. pic.twitter.com/mcpQ1BKZ91 — Jack (@jackcox997) June 20, 2019



Looks like we only have to wait One More Day for the big Spider-Man reveal! (Just joking...) #MarvelComics https://t.co/3LrIOQXv2g — C.B. Cebulski (@CBCebulski) June 19, 2019

Regardless of how you feel about the news itself, the way Marvel teed it up struck a bad chord with fans, earning the publisher instant resentment online. It all stems from that first teaser: the number four written in webbing. Barring a Spider-Man and Fantastic Four crossover, the only other natural conclusion was that Marvel was hinting at a comic book adaptation of Sam Raimi’s canceled Spider-Man 4 movie Comic adaptations of ill-fated movies aren’t uncommon -- examples include Frank Miller’s unproduced script for RoboCop 2 and William Gibson’s Alien 3 -- so this was well within the realm of possibility. Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy ended on a bad note, so a whole generation of people who love that version of Spidey suddenly found themselves hopeful they’d finally get some closure. Despite the entertainment industry having moved on with not one but two new Spider-Man movie franchises, Raimi's Spider-Man holds a special place in many hearts, and Spider-Man 2 in particular still finds itself towards the top of many lists ranking the best superhero movies ever made. Raimi's take on Spider-Man was a bona fide superhero movie long before we were used to getting bona fied superhero movies every few months, and it left a lasting impression on millions. Through various interviews and concept art uncovered over the years, Spider-Man 4 was reportedly going to feature Vulture, Black Cat and Mysterio and take Spider-Man back to basics -- which sounded like a fine way to give the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man a proper sendoff.But it was not to be. The arrival of a webbed number three instantly shattered any illusion that a Spider-Man 4 adaptation was going to happen. This teaser campaign was counting down to something else entirely. Something co-written by JJ Abrams and his son Henry Abrams whose professional credits include being a Production Assistant on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Cloverfield Paradox.But let’s be real: who starts a countdown at four? You start with three or ten, maybe five, but never four. The folks at Marvel had to have known what they were implying with that webbed four. How could they not? Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski even acknowledged that it looked like they were teasing an adaptation of Spider-Man 4.Granted, playing the game of teasers is not easy. If the teaser fails to excite, then it’ll go unnoticed, but if it promises too much, then it’ll disappoint. But teasing what looks a dream project that doesn’t even exist to garner interest in a completely unrelated project is a game where no one wins. The publisher looks untrustworthy and the readers feel burned. The people who work at Marvel are fans of this stuff just as much as we are, so it’s on them to ruminate on how their actions will be received by the community. With great power there must also come great responsibility, and all that. But it’s hard to shake the feeling that the folks at Marvel counted on the teaser campaign generating interest off something they were never going to deliver. It’s hard to feel like Marvel didn’t pull a bait and switch.The reaction online hasn’t been pretty. Fans feel manipulated and toyed with.The fact that Cebulski continued to tease fans with another Spider-Man story they’ll never get (by using the “one” web teaser to reference the controversial Spider-Man: One More Day storyline that is still a sour point for fans today) didn’t help matters.And what does Marvel have to show for it? A new comic that could have garnered genuine interest had it been presented in a different manner, now tangled in a web of ill will. Which is a shame, given it’s being drawn by the amazingly, spectacularly talented Sara Pichelli, co-creator of Miles Morales, and features one of the most well-known names in the entertainment industry making his superhero comic debut… with Henry Abrams, son of famous director JJ Abrams.

Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN