How important is it for characters to be relatable?

People talk about being able to relate to characters a lot, but is it really that big a deal if you don't have similar problems to your heroes/villains?

Classic example being Batman and Superman.

Batman's "human" and has all the same issues to deal with that a regular human would deal with.

For the sake of the argument, let's assume people can't/don't consider Superman relatable because he's an all-powerful alien.

Personally, I'm not a fan of humans. They're cool, and there are some good ones, but on the whole mankind can be grating, and being human isn't enough for me to find a character relatable or just because a character is able to lift a planet isn't enough to say "I can't vibe with this character."

That's just me though. Is it important for you to read about a character you relate to?

I personally don't have to relate to a character for them to be important to me. It could just be a character that's compelling, dynamic, interesting, and above all, likable. Having said character be relatable would just be a plus.

That's how I got to loving Spidey. He was all those things I listed and his relatability was the icing on the cake. I like Batman, not cause I can relate to him, but because he's Batman. I can't relate to Superman, but I still like him.

Some characters are likable because they are relatable; some are likable because they are not.

See: snarky street-level characters vs. vastly powerful godlike enforcers of justice

Its cool for a character to be relatable sometimes, but its not necessary for me.

That's pretty much what got Marvel where it's at today. Ahead of DC by a landslide.

See in a world where nobody really gives af about "dah feetz". People need something to relate to. Marvel is always building and moving their brand forward through this understanding. A lot of these senior enlisted white guys in the army LOVE captain America here in Ft Riley. It's because they can relate to him, at least a little. Hell Marvel even stepped it up and instead of portraying a nazi character via a British "black" actor(Arrow/DC). They remixed rap album covers with Marvel heroes. Did the same thing with dogs. Marvel just gets it.

With all that said, it's only important in how much one wants to expand and sell.

Also don't help that DC is trying to take Rihanna to court for wanting to market her Brand as "Robyn". Which is her first name. It's not even spelled "Robin", which If it was is also the name of a bird that was around long before DC emerged.

Most of the time I like characters to be relatable, but I don't mind if they aren't.

Not as important as them being interesting.

It seems like they all have something we can relate to. Nobody goes through what they are trying to accomplish without some roadblocks. I'd say that makes it relatable.

Not important at all