To me, someone who celebrates a bit more of the spectrum than most: Metal hot. Make food hot.
Non-stick means easier cleanup, but my wife seems to think cast-iron is necessary for certain things (searing a prime rib roast, for example.).
After I figure those out, then I gotta figure out gas vs. electric vs. induction vs infrared…
No. It’s more versatile than most pans, but that starts and ends with “you can put it in the oven”.
The cast iron cult is just as other weird subculture that developed from people who are online too much. They’re pans. They’re fine.
And most importantly they can last a lifetime. I got frustrated replacing non-stick pans every decade or so, now I expect not ever to do that again