The spectators on Twitter soon noticed the pattern.
A tech blogger with over three million followers posted a lengthy thread, comparing screenshots of the paid troll accounts' comments before and after Yongye's counterattack, with the caption:
"The troll war has begun. On the left are Iron Man's trolls; on the right are Yongye's. Iron Man's trolls use identical talking points and post mainly between two and four in the morning. Yongye's trolls use varied, flexible arguments, post around the clock, and even interact with other users."
"Conclusion: Iron Man's trolls are purely paid trolls. Yongye's trolls are... volunteer trolls?"
Over eighty thousand comments flooded in within ten minutes:
"I'm dying! Yongye's trolls are wiping the floor with Iron Man's!"
"Where did Yongye get trolls? Isn't he the President of the Eye Society? Isn't that an official organization?"
"Are you stupid? The Boys! Four female heroes! Each one has a fan club behind her! That's at least twenty million active fans combined!"
"Twenty million active fans against Iron Man's zombie followers? Isn't that bringing a nuke to a knife fight?"
"Iron Man: I pay for trolls. Yongye: I get the female heroes to mobilize their fan clubs. Money power versus fucking power. Iron Man loses, hands down."
"Wait, Yongye has his own fan club too! He fought the Kryptonians, Ultron, Dormammu, and Susanoo-no-Mikoto. How many people around the world have raised their hands for him? How many have shouted 'Long live the Golden Armor God of War'?"
"This is a genuine wipeout. Iron Man spent millions of dollars buying zombie followers. Yongye didn't spend a cent, and twenty million active fans stormed his troll army's positions!"
"Iron Man: I spent fucking millions! Yongye: Then of course you lose. I give the female heroes billions every night!"
"You're fucking savage!"
"But it's