I think the narrative that it needn't be an air superiority fighter came later (I.e. they changed the requirements when they realized it would not be competitive in practice).
iirc it was originally intended to be an air superiority fighter. Consider this line from the wikipedia F-35 entry
"intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions."
iirc it was originally intended to be an air superiority fighter. Consider this line from the wikipedia F-35 entry
"intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions."