James Van Der Beek became a household name when he played sensitive teenager Dawson Leery on Dawson's Creek. For six seasons, Dawson fell in love with his best friend Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), tried to make a romance work with Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams), and faced many trials in his personal and family life.
Dawson is by no means a perfect guy but he tries his best. Stacked up against the other characters who live in beautiful Capeside, he has a lot of traits that stand out and prove that he's ultimately a good person, even if he has a few drawbacks.
Best: A Dreamer
While Dawson's daydreams can sometimes wreak havoc, like when he's too intense with Jen in the first season, the fact that he wants to succeed is a positive thing.
Dawson's dreamer personality is one of his best traits as it's something that no one can take away from him. While he may face setbacks over the years, from not getting into his preferred college to leaving college early because it doesn't feel right to him, he still wants to make both his romantic and filmmaking dreams come true.
Worst: Emotional
The Joey/Pacey/Dawson love triangle is one of Dawson's Creek most memorable storylines... and it's where Dawson really lets his emotions out.
It's tough for him to deal with the fact that his best friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson) is in love with his soulmate Joey, and he feels completely betrayed and destroyed. This may be a normal reaction as this is a huge moment in his life, but Dawson should keep his feelings in check a bit more. He acts like every little thing is the end of the world.
Best: Kind
Dawson is a very kind person, and this is notable in his relationship with Jen as he proves to her in season 1 that there are good people out there, even if they're not meant for each other.
Dawson's parents might have had some trouble over the years but they've taught him to treat others with respect and kindness. He has his moments, especially when dealing with some snobs at school, but most of the time, Dawson is super nice.
Worst: Conceited
Thanks to his desire to be an incredible filmmaker, Dawson has a bit of a superiority complex and he thinks that he's the best young director and writer that there is.
He's talented, there's no doubting that, and many would agree that it's awesome that he knows what he wants to do with his life at such a young age. But Dawson often shows that he's conceited, and this is one of his worst personality traits.
Best: Passionate
Dawson's passion for life is something to appreciate, and his personality makes him one of the best characters on any teen drama in general, but this show in particular.
Whether talking about his idol, Steven Spielberg, or his future plans (or even just something that bothered him that day), Dawson is a passionate guy and it's very charming to watch.
Worst: Argumentative
Once Dawson grows up a little, he'll make a great boyfriend, but in the early seasons of Dawson's Creek, he starts an argument with almost anyone. He should get this in check and soon because it's not something that people want to see.
Dawson will even fight with an authority figure like a teacher and tell them that something isn't fair, and he doesn't care if he sounds whiny and immature.
Best: Inclusive
Some people are protective of their friend group and don't want to let any new members in, and this is especially true in high school. Not for Dawson Leery, though.
Dawson is very inclusive, and it's one of his best traits. He extends his friendship to Jen and siblings Jack (Kerr Smith) and Andie McPhee (Meredith Monroe), and they quickly become part of the gang. Dawson's very social and always inviting people to the movies or over to his house to, well, watch movies. He might have a limited view of what a fun evening is, but he doesn't want to leave anyone out.
Worst: Possessive
While Dawson and Joey are best friends, he can be a little possessive of her, even as they get older and start moving away from each other a bit. It's difficult for Dawson to let go of the fact that they don't live across the creek from each other anymore.
Even before the two friends move out of Capeside, Dawson has trouble accepting that Joey is going to date people who aren't him. He sometimes acts like he owns Joey, and it's not great.
Best: Naive
Even though being naive is typically a negative trait, in Dawson's case, this naivety works out well for him.
It allows him to keep his inner child alive, even when everything around him is totally falling apart. Dawson needs to retain a certain innocence in order to be a great filmmaker, as he wants to believe that there is magic in the world and he can capture it and show it to everyone. Without this personality trait, Dawson wouldn't be himself.
Worst: Judgmental
Dawson's Creek switched up a lot of things after the pilot but one thing that never changed was Dawson's judgment of other people.
He has trouble dealing with the fact that people are going to make different decisions than he would. From his parents' marital strife to his classmates who are making a movie, Dawson wants to be involved in everyone's lives and he wishes that they would act perfect. But that's not realistic, and as Joey often tells her friend, Dawson doesn't always think about reality.