Ranking Every DC Movie Villain From Worst To Best
8. The Joker - Cesar Romero (Batman '66)
In comparison with the other screen Jokers - including the impending one from Jared Leto - Cesar Romero's Clown Prince Of Crime is a gentle, comedic presence. He's far removed from the murderous, unhinged psychopath: he was a camp joy and the perfect Joker for the show and the spin-off movie. Had he rocked up covered in blood after killing Barbara Gordon, something would have been seriously amiss.
He's not quite a criminal genius, or a mastermind capable of the kind of precise planning Heath Ledger's version would later rely on, but that's entirely the point.
Romero's performance is hilarious: he's bumbling and borderline idiotic, playing up the idea of a man who dresses as a clown as unhinged rather than completely, unrepentantly dark. And while it's never quite as intriguing as the later performances, he's still spell-binding, and it sort of fits that his success rate is seriously limited by his own approach to fighting Batman.
Even Romero's refusal to shave his moustache adds a welcome idiosyncrasy that actually suits the character.
Batman '66 is available to buy over at Amazon.