When recruited heroes are indeed different from each other. But they all can get the same weapons, they all can be imbued with magic... after a while they are all the same. My suggestion is to limit heroes in what they can do.
That is a big mistake in a gameplay which in fact repeatedly has been described as one that tries to "do too much".
Heroes IMO should be specialized in the kind of weapon/armor they can carry. Maybe some of them are unable to use swords, but get a bonus when using a hammer and not all of them should have a magic predisposition (some of them cannot be imbued). Also I have suggested that not all cities should be able to produce all kinds of weapons so that giving the right equipment to the right champion would become a quest in itself accomplished by traveling to the right city.
As things are now everything can be done everywhere and that means that all games end up being and looking the same!
Also I have never understood why heroes are not created randomly by the game, since this game is incredibly beautiful in what it can do with units portraits and there are literally infinite possibilities in terms of look and clothes. Who cares if some of them end up being useless! Make me go "WOW look at that one!" when a new hero appears from the fog of war!