The F-35 Lightning II is a multirole aircraft, designed to do everything from reconnaissance to stealth to air combat.
The F-35 was designed to be an adaptive platform capable of replacing multiple aircraft types. Three variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least ten other countries
https://www.f35.com/
F16 was designed as an air superiority fighter but it is used as a multirole fighter. F15 is a pure as an air superiority fighter, US was planning to replace F15 with F22, but they ended the program to support F35 production.
F35 was designed to replace A-10, F15, F16, F22 and F18. It is only recently that USAF wanted to upgrade F15 instead of having F35 replace it. So you are saying a plane that was designed to replace air superiority planes is not meant to engage in close combat.
I don't think you understand what a multirole fighter means.