Quote Originally Posted by Anteros View Post
Tony Stark is a snarky playboy who struggles with personal relations, responsibility, and alcoholism. There's plenty there for an audience to relate to. He's basically a perfect protagonist for a Whedon film.

Compare to Superman who's biggest issue is that he's just so perfect and powerful that he has trouble relating to the people he protects, but chooses to be human anyway. You might enjoy his story, but you don't relate to it the way a former alcoholic or partier will with Tony. Or the way a broke college kid relates to Spidey.
My point is the snarky playboy who struggles with personal relations, responsibility, and alcoholism isn't the core of Tony Stark. The core of Tony Stark is just the invincible Iron Man. The other bits were added later to flesh him out into an interesting character.

Superman as his core is a powerful hero that fights for truth, justice, and the american way. He doesn't have to be a perfect god; he can still be a person with struggles underneath all that and still ring true as Superman.