Consider this to how the citizens in My Hero Academia view the Superman stand-in, All Might. He’s the number one hero in Japan and is referred to as the Symbol of Peace, and the way he’s placed on a pedestal as the greatest hero in the country causes a lot of stress for All Might on top of having to deal with his deteriorating health.
The idea of All Might supposedly being perfect (while showing he really isn’t) has a greater effect on the plot than one might think. Not only is All Might constantly targeted by villains as a result of his status, several other characters (mainly Endeavor and Bakugo) try their hardest to surpass him or live up to his expectations (mainly Midoriya) to the point of self-destruction, and when he eventually loses his powers and is forced to retire, it causes a huge societal upheaval where nobody is sure what to do now that they’ve lost the symbol of peace.
The portrayal of All Might in My Hero Academia really highlights the flaws in Astruc’s views that perfect heroes are amazing because they’re perfect.
Likewise, Kim Possible (whose show I’ve also gotten into recently) is a much more well-written character because she’s been shown to struggle to balance her spy career with her everyday life where nobody really respects her. Even though she was able to stop all kinds of villains and can do all kinds of incredibly feats, she was still shown to have moments of jealousy and selfishness that shows she still isn’t perfect and is victim to the kinds of things the target audience can relate to.
Like in the movie, her moment of weakness works because it feels like something anyone would go through when they found out the person they love turned out to be using them for an ulterior motive, and Ron being the one to help her out of her funk highlights the strength of their partnership.
But of course, both All Might and Kim Possible are beloved characters specifically because they’re so perfect, not because so many people can relate to the moments of vulnerability they show, right?
