I can't really see any other way for Diablo to return aside Leah. Maybe through summoning, but they added Leah to the story for a reason.
Diablo is the last boss for D3. All the info is there if you dig through the data mining sites. So he IS back. Question is how.
See, the thing is...
I'm not sure we're talking about a 'he' at all.
The Prime Evils have demonstrated a willingness to 'die' for higher purposes. The Diablo we're worried about in D3 may not be the Diablo from the last two games...
Leah is an offspring of Adria and Aidan, the Dark Wanderer. So far, it hasn't been confirmed whether Adria is an Angel or not, since nothing actually supports that claim.
The Dark Wanderer has been revealed to be elder son of King Leoric.
So, lets do a quick recap:
Leoric - possessed (spiritually) by Diablo, driven to madness.
Albretch, Leoric's younger son - possessed (physically) by Diablo. This is how Diablo manifested in the first game.
Dark Wanderer, Leoric older son - possessed (physically and spiritually) by Diablo.
In the case of Leoric the possession did not result in Diablo physically emerging.
In the case of Albretch, the possession and madness and transformation are implied to have been much more rapid, and that Albretch's spirit was not so much 'corrupted' and 'utterly destroyed' when Diablo brought his nightmares to life. This is open to interpretation, of course.
The Dark Wanderer's possession appears to by a hybrid of the two types of possession that came before it. He is compelled to travel East (spiritual) while also manifesting some diabolical abilities (physical). This eventually gives over entirely to possession.
Now, if we assume that Leah is the last of the house Leoric, a house routinely corrupted by Diablo and considering corruption as one of the primary narrative themes of Diablo, it seems likely Diablo will manifest through Leah, or that the potential will at least be considered in the story.
Leah might be the person that breaks the chain of corruption present in Sanctuary since before the events of Diablo 1, though.
There doesn't seem to be any available information sufficient to sustain any other theory of Diablo coming back, either resurrecting in his sort-of daughter or having his daughter assume the mantle of Diablo herself.
Oke how about this just a wild theory but still xD
Diablo Baal and Mephisto, did not die, but instead their spirits were sent to the ''Abyss"
What if Diablo is indeed the strongest of the three which we all think, and Baal and Mephisto give like 3/4 of their life energy to diablo so he can Return to hell (but they are stuck there because of it) to boss around belial and azmodan and sending them to sanctuary (I think belial or Azmodan is act 2 boss if anyone could confirm that) and order the invasion of sanctuary now that the worldstone is destroyed and when hell controls sanctuary they use humanity to strengthen their armies and attack heaven control everything then diablo has enough power to bring his brothers back and three brothers rule everything, maybe that is their grand sceme? I dont know lol just a theory
According to the beta, Leah is probably the offspring of an Angel and Diablo.
We are told her father was a great warrior, lost when Tristram fell to Diablo. The Warrior from Diablo 1 was the one Diablo eventually manifested through.
Her mother was Adria the witch, who has been speculated as being more than human because of the information she possesses. This would make Leah, at least, a nephilim, and probably mean that she has bookoo power.
I noticed, looking back on the few images we have of Diablo as it appears in Diablo 3, that its body was more slender, and there are two lung-like shapes across its chest that approximate the location of breasts. I think Leah manifests into Diablo at some point in Diablo 3, either becoming possessed by her father, or becoming a new Diablo.
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Shiiiiiii....
(sorry if this is repost. I went two pages back)
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See, the thing is...
I'm not sure we're talking about a 'he' at all.
The Prime Evils have demonstrated a willingness to 'die' for higher purposes. The Diablo we're worried about in D3 may not be the Diablo from the last two games...
0
So, lets do a quick recap:
Leoric - possessed (spiritually) by Diablo, driven to madness.
Albretch, Leoric's younger son - possessed (physically) by Diablo. This is how Diablo manifested in the first game.
Dark Wanderer, Leoric older son - possessed (physically and spiritually) by Diablo.
In the case of Leoric the possession did not result in Diablo physically emerging.
In the case of Albretch, the possession and madness and transformation are implied to have been much more rapid, and that Albretch's spirit was not so much 'corrupted' and 'utterly destroyed' when Diablo brought his nightmares to life. This is open to interpretation, of course.
The Dark Wanderer's possession appears to by a hybrid of the two types of possession that came before it. He is compelled to travel East (spiritual) while also manifesting some diabolical abilities (physical). This eventually gives over entirely to possession.
Now, if we assume that Leah is the last of the house Leoric, a house routinely corrupted by Diablo and considering corruption as one of the primary narrative themes of Diablo, it seems likely Diablo will manifest through Leah, or that the potential will at least be considered in the story.
Leah might be the person that breaks the chain of corruption present in Sanctuary since before the events of Diablo 1, though.
There doesn't seem to be any available information sufficient to sustain any other theory of Diablo coming back, either resurrecting in his sort-of daughter or having his daughter assume the mantle of Diablo herself.
0
According to the beta, Leah is probably the offspring of an Angel and Diablo.
We are told her father was a great warrior, lost when Tristram fell to Diablo. The Warrior from Diablo 1 was the one Diablo eventually manifested through.
Her mother was Adria the witch, who has been speculated as being more than human because of the information she possesses. This would make Leah, at least, a nephilim, and probably mean that she has bookoo power.
I noticed, looking back on the few images we have of Diablo as it appears in Diablo 3, that its body was more slender, and there are two lung-like shapes across its chest that approximate the location of breasts. I think Leah manifests into Diablo at some point in Diablo 3, either becoming possessed by her father, or becoming a new Diablo.