Datuk Seri Najib Razak posted a spoiler to the Marvel Studio movie ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and many were angry with him for the posting and complained that it robbed them of enjoyment as they have yet to watch the movie. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak's attempts to connect with Malaysians on social media backfired yesterday after the former prime minister posted a spoiler to the highly-anticipated Marvel Studio movie Avengers: Endgame.

Najib posted the offending message on Twitter after 11pm last night, triggering a storm of criticism online.

Many were angry with him for the posting and complained that it robbed them of enjoyment as they have yet to watch the movie while others mocked him for trying to appear current.

Some tied his faux pas to the former PM’s ongoing criminal cases.

“Grabbing the rakyat’s money even when saying it is not wrong. Becoming a spoiler even the walaun permits it haha,” said Mhd Shamin, using a term for PAS supporters.

One user writing as “Parzival” retaliated to Najib’s tweet by posting a photo of the former PM’s son, Mohd Nazifuddin Najib, drinking wine with Taiwanese actress Celia Chang. The two were spotted together on July 6 last year, sparking rumours of a relationship.

Najib has reinvented himself on social media since leading Barisan Nasional to its only ever general election defeat last year, using such platforms to simultaneously troll the Pakatan Harapan administration and appeal to youths.

The highly-anticipated US$356 million (RM1.47 billion) blockbuster took in over US$1.2 billion (RM4.9 billion) in ticket sales worldwide within five days of its premiere, putting it on track to be of the highest-earning movies of all time.