In an alternate universe, Ryan Gosling probably played the Joker. Willem Dafoe put on a smile too on another Earth. But who else came close?

On Jan. 12, 1966, “Batman,” starring Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin and Cesar Romero as the Joker, debuted on ABC.

Created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson, the Joker is not just the signature Batman villain, but has grown beyond the role as recent standalone movies suggest. Over the years ...

Also: We aren't counting the animated movies ... The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One. Jack Nicholson is one of the all-time greatest actors, but his Joker throws off the balance of ...