Spider-Man is famous for many things. Being friendly. Doing what he can. Being responsible with his great power.

Now he’s notable for his latest film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which had the biggest opening weekend of any motion picture ever, making close to US $1 billion.

So, the question is: how? Is it, to misquote Mark Twain, that reports of superhero fatigue have been greatly exaggerated? Is it a quirk of timing, hitting the zeitgeist at the right moment? Or is something else at work?

The answer is deceptively straightforward, and actually quite simple to replicate. It’s just not particularly exciting: Spider-Man gets the basics right.

To use a sporting metaphor, sometimes football can be over-complicated. But if you can do the basics well – shoot, tackle, pass – you’ll be a very good player. Not a genius, not remembered by future generations, but excellent nonetheless.

The same goes for storytelling.

Does whatever a Spider-Man can

Spiderman is recognised as one of the all-time great superheroes, arguably the only Marvel superhero to equal DC’s Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Perhaps Marvel’s greatest trick was to dust off minor heroes such as Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy and make them popular, but superhero land is very much a two-tiered society.

Spider-Man fills a gap in........

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