The Emperor represents power. There is nothing subtle about this Tarot card.

The Magician has power through intellect; the High Priestess has power through knowledge; the Empress has power through love.

The Emperor has power through power.

He is in control, he is forceful and ambitious. Nothing will stop him. He is a natural leader, having either been born to the role or having disposed of all those who stood in his way.

If well aspected in a Tarot spread this card can indicate success. It represents obstacles overcome, goals reached and ambition fulfilled. If badly aspected it can indicate either weakness or an abuse of power.

The Emperor has power - can he avoid corruption?

John Winchester character seems to have been molded on the idea of the Emperor. There is nothing that he will allow to divert him from the course of finding the thing that killed his wife, not even what is left of his family. John’s crusade created a distance between himself and his youngest son and forced Dean to take on too much responsibility at a young age. There are hints that John may have been a borderline alcoholic, yet his quest doesn’t allow him to find the refuge he might need.

When John makes his deal to save Dean’s life, he gives in to corruption in a literal sense and manages to fully embody both the positive and negative aspects of this card. I wanted to show him as a man who understands how family is important and to drive home that he is a formidable hunter. There is a rarely seen softer side to John; in fact, I think the only time we catch glimpses of it he’s with family or in Missouri’s presence. These are people he can trust but even then he can’t let go completely.

Within the context of the show, I think John shows more of the negative characteristics of the Emperor. However, if his Empress had lived I know that we would see a very different John Winchester.