Look folks, no one is saying that publishers are excused from poor game design.

But I think we all recognize that it is literally impossible to account for every combination of player personalities and character choices, and that the DM has always been responsible for polishing off the rough edges. Heck, some of people in this thread have long lists of interesting homebrew rules which they are justifiably proud of. That's good DM-ing!

And there are plenty of feats, subclasses, backgrounds and items that can extend the chassis of a martial character and give them options beyond "I hit it with my axe." Go look at the "Collection of Interesting and Eclectic Characters" thread to see page after page of examples.

I believe that the DM should give everyone the chance to be engaged in all forms of play, even though they aren't optimized. Sometimes the players - especially when they are good roleplayers - will seize on the opportunity to do something outrageous and memorable just because its fun.