Elon Musk’s showdown with Twitter has set the stage for what could become one of the most unusual courtroom battles in corporate-takeover history — a spurned acquisition target that never sought to be bought potentially trying to force the buyer who soured on the deal to see it through.

In just over three months, Musk aggressively pursued a takeover that Twitter first resisted, then he prevailed and reneged — all the while using the very platform to ridicule Twitter and its leaders and drop hints about his shifting intentions.