We talk about the main villain of the series, try to understand why he appeared or did not appear in the fourth part, share small details of the ending and those who may be dedicated to future DLC Diablo 4.
Perhaps this is one of the main questions that worries all fans of the Diablo franchise – is there a main antagonist of the series in it? And the first thing you should pay attention to is that Diablo 4 is focused on Lilith and Inaria, and there was little news about the Dreadlord during the entire development of the game. Let’s figure out if there is a cult villain in Diablo 4 or is it worth waiting for in the add-on)?
However, before I begin, I will make an important warning – the article contains some spoilers. In the meantime, let’s delve into Diablo’s history and understand what role – if any – he can play in Diablo 4.
Diablo’s backstory in previous games in the series
Diablo, also called Al-Diabolos – Lord of Dread – is one of the three Primal Evils, the most powerful demon-lords of the Burning Hell. Along with his brothers and sisters, Diablo was descended from one of the seven heads of the dragon Tatamet – the great primordial evil that appeared after Anu expelled all evil from his body. He rules over the Realm of Terror in the Burning Hell. This is where gamers got during the confrontation with Diablo in the fourth act of Diablo 3.
Players are first introduced to Diablo in the original game when Archbishop Lazarus unleashes it with a Soul Stone hidden in Tristram Cathedral. Diablo’s initial attempts to possess King Leoric failed, leading him to use Leoric’s youngest son Albrecht as a host. We fight with him in the final game of Diablo 1. The first part ends with the victorious warrior (Albrecht’s elder brother, Aidan, Leoric’s heir) killing Diablo and removing a fragment of the soul stone from the demon’s forehead, and we see Albrecht’s corpse. Aidan then places a rock on his head to try and contain the Dreadlord. Unfortunately, Diablo gradually began to distort and defile his mind.
Aidan doesn’t linger in Tristram and heads east under the new guise of the Dark Wanderer, trying to find a working way to contain Diablo… but it was too late. Gamers spend most of Diablo 2 chasing the Dark Wanderer and then confronting the Diablo boss in Act 4, inside the Sanctuary of Chaos. In the end, we destroy his soul stone. Without the soul stone that imprisoned Diablo in a trap, the main villain returns to the Black Abyss (Void), leaving part of his demonic essence in Sanctuary.
20 years after his defeat, Diablo 3 has Diablo’s servant, Adria, traveling across Sanctuary collecting the demonic essences of the slain Greater Evils. The player unwittingly helps Adria acquire the Black Soul Gem, which is supposedly the key to defeating Azmodan and Belial, the last Lords of Hell containing the essences of all Evil in this one powerful Soul Gem. But instead of locking Evil away, Adria uses the evil-infused Black Soul Gem on Leah, Deckard Cain’s adopted daughter, resurrecting Diablo as the Prime Evil, wielding the powers of all seven Hell Lords. Players then still defeat the Silver Spire (and then move to the Realm of Dread as described above) and return its essence to the Black Soul Gem.
Diablo is the main villain of the previous three games in the series. In the first part, he was the final boss, in the second and third – the last opponent of the fourth act (before the release of add-ons). The fact that he managed to bounce back from two defeats makes you wonder – maybe Diablo will be able to return at some point during the passage of the fourth part?
Will Diablo appear in Diablo 4?
From a lore standpoint, Diablo may well appear in the fourth installment. According to Blizzard’s official manual, Malthael’s defeat at the end of Diablo 3 released all the souls he had absorbed, including Diablo. It remains a mystery, where did Diablo’s soul go? To Sanctuary? Burning Hell? Or was he back in the Black Abyss?
Looking at the dev blog from 2020, where they talk about the vast world of Sanctuary, you can find information that indicates that Diablo may be on the loose again:
Since we have everything from serene ocean rocks to the gaping maw of hell itself, how could this affect the bestiary?
In the Diablo 4 release date trailer, we see Inarius and Lilith fighting in Hell.
Thus, we know that there is a portal from Sanctuary to the Burning Hell… which means that the Dreadlord can pass through it. Diablo may end up in Sanctuary at some point in the Diablo 4 storyline. But will he be the main villain of the fourth part, as he was in the previous three? Will gamers be able to inflict final defeat on the Dreadlord?
All indications are that such an alignment is unlikely. While Diablo may play a minor role in the recently released game, everything we’ve seen so far shows Lilith as the main antagonist. There is an incredible suggestion that Lilith is the cause of the final death of Diablo.
Lilith with Diablo’s skull in her hands?
In the Blizzard blog post with the initial announcement of Diablo 4, we see Lilith holding a red demon skull with massive horns. Then, at the 2019 BlizzCon art studio panel, a sketch of the Dreadlord himself was presented, very similar to the skull in Lilith’s hands. Additionally, previews of the upcoming Diablo: The Book of Lorat include a page on demonic relics that mentions three powerful artifacts taken from the corpses of the Prime Evil, one of which is the Horn of Diablo. The image of the horn shows an uncanny resemblance to Lilith’s trophy. Kill me, but it can’t be a coincidence.
In-game achievements revealed in the open beta test suggest that Diablo may not appear at all – or at least we won’t fight him. There are achievements for killing the game’s “big villains”, including the all-new character Astaroth, the returned Lesser Evil siblings Duriel and Andariel, and Blessed Mother Lilith herself. Heck, there’s even an achievement for killing the Butcher. Obviously, if Diablo were in the game, the developers would have found time to create his unique achievement. But it can be kept secret.
From the beta version of Diablo 4, we know that Lilith has her own goals, one of which is obtaining a key from her son Rathma, which can be used to open the Burning Hell. We were also shown the demonic army that surrounded Lilith in the release date trailer. Reopening the Burning Hell can serve two purposes – an attempt to raise a powerful army, or to obtain a powerful weapon (for example, the Horn of Diablo). Lorat points out the following: “Anyone who is wounded [by the horn of Diablo] should pray that the wound will turn into a fatal one.”
If Lilith is looking for the Horn of Diablo to use as a weapon – against Inarius or anyone else – this may indicate that she (or someone else) will kill Diablo. This could explain both the art of Lilith holding a skull and the lack of achievement for killing Diablo.
On the other hand, Lilith’s plans may be completely different, and a picture is just a picture.
So is Diablo in Diablo 4 (MAJOR SPOILER!)?
Since the release of Diablo 4 has already taken place, we can answer the question that has plagued all fans of the franchise since the announcement of the fourth part. No, Diablo never appears in the game. Neither in the role of the main boss, nor in the role of some ordinary enemy (it would be strange, of course), nor in the role of a character, although it is mentioned in the story. It’s possible we’ll see Diablo in future expansions, though they may be about the future of Lorat, Mephisto and/or Neirelle.
Below we will tell you what the ending of Diablo 4 turned out to be.
The fate of Lilith – Diablo 4 ending
Lilith is the mother of Sanctuary and daughter of the Prime Evil Mephisto. Throughout the campaign, the protagonist of the game, the Wanderer, pursues the demoness, trying to find out her motives and plans. Lilith knows that humanity will have to continue to confront dangerous threats from the Primal Evil and their demonic legions. She plans to raise an army of powerful followers and fighters.
As soon as you see a vision through the Blind Eye, Lilith will lure the hero to her side, forcing him to become her protector. Realizing that she also made everyone else her puppets, like Venard and Elias, given that the reasons that prompt her to do this are only a means to an end, and the fact that she is not afraid to get her hands dirty, because of which innocent people die , the protagonist rejects her proposal. This leads to a battle on the Throne of Hate, where you finally defeat the main villain.
Is Lilith really dead? It’s impossible to say for sure. She crumbles to dust, and it seems that her storyline is coming to an end. But we’re talking about the Diablo series, in which demon lords compete against each other to see who will be reborn the most times after their death. Just like with the Fast & Furious and Warhammer characters, it’s impossible to say for sure that this is Lilith’s last appearance in the series.