From The Governor to Negan, the Walking Dead universe is nothing without its terrifying villains – and The Dama doesn’t disappoint.

In Touch rounds up everything to know so far about the mysterious antagonist in The Walking Dead: Dead City.

Who Is The Dama in ‘TWD: Dead City’?

The Dama (Lisa Emery) is a former theatre actress believed to be in her late 60s to early 70s who lives in Manhattan. While little is known about her past or her rise to power on the island, she has consistently proven herself to be smart, calculating and manipulative as an ally of the Burazi and a clear authority figure to The Croat (Željko Ivanek).

Throughout the first season, she worked closely with him to find Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and get him to Manhattan. Once he was their prisoner, she used not-so-subtle threats against Negan’s family to convince him to try to rally the other groups of survivors on the island to rise up against the impending threat of an attack by the New Babylon Federation.

Who Plays The Dama in ‘TWD: Dead City’?

Lisa Emery was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1952, and has been acting professionally in television and film since the mid 1980s.

She is best known for playing the role of Darlene Snell on Ozark from 2017 to 2022. She’s also had guest star appearances in several other hit shows, including Netflix’s Jessica Jones, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Damages, and Madam Secretary.

Additionally, she has had a significant career on stage, in both Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Some of her credits include Rumors (1988), Marvin’s Room (1991), Dinner with Friends (1999), What the Butler Saw (2000), Abigail’s Party (2005), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (2006), Relatively Speaking (2011), the Six Degrees of Separation revival (2017) and many more.

The Dama Has a Keen Interest in Theatre and the Arts

References to art, music and the theatre play a key role in The Dama’s interactions with others. In the episode “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” she describes The Croat’s attempts to find Negan like she would the beats of a play.

“Let me see if I understand. The show started out with a bang. Kept me up all night, actually. But then there was a plot twist,” she tells him. “You thought you had your hero, but he got away. What good is a hero offstage? So naturally, the ending fizzled, and let’s face it, everyone knows the ending is all that matters.”

In the episode “Another S–tty Lesson,” she talks with Negan about the meaning behind the painting “Saturn Devouring His Son” by Francisco Goya. Later, in the same episode, she recognizes a piece by Bach played by Negan’s former prison guard, Victor (Logan Schmucker), and reflects on the composer’s significance in music history.

The Dama’s Cruel Lesson to Negan in Season 2 of ‘TWD: Dead City’

The Dama is not afraid to get her hands dirty when she needs to – especially when it comes to keeping Negan on a tight leash. After he hesitates during an attack in order to spare Hershel Rhee (Logan Kim) in “Another S–tty Lesson,” she confronts Negan and swiftly doles out a punishment.

She brings Victor into the room and orders him to play his violin for them. While The Dama initially praises him for his performance, her tone shifts as she explains that Bach was the best of his time who only “perfected” what everyone else had already done.

“Instead of taking us forward, he took us back. I am not interested in going back,” she says as she slices the man’s throat, killing the closest person Negan has had to a friend since his imprisonment in Manhattan.

What Lisa Emery Thinks About Playing The Dama on ‘TWD: Dead City’

Lisa revealed that The Dama’s fascinating character is what made her want the job on the show in a 2023 interview with AMC.

“At first, I was so afraid that I would be a zombie. Not afraid per se, but I didn’t think it would be as interesting to play that as somebody like The Dama, who is, God, a delicious villain,” she said at the time. “I mean, delicious, just the way that she lives in this horrible apocalyptic atmosphere and the control that she has. And she’s a woman! I love all of it.”