The Emperor is the despotic ruler of the Empire. Known to Fables as "the Adversary," the Emperor is in fact not the true ruler of the Empire, but is in fact a puppet and figurehead created by Geppetto, the real Adversary.
Like his other wooden siblings, he is capable of independent thoughts. When Geppetto fell into depression after the Battle of Haven and unable to give orders, the Emperor managed to keep the Empire under control with the help of the the Snow Queen.
He is a fearsome fighter and almost completely invulnerable thanks to the numerous spells that have been put on him by the mages. He managed to defeat Bigby in his true form and was only defeated by Boy Blue through the use of his Vorpal Sword.