Who Reigns Supreme Among the Evils of Hell? Diablo – The Prime Evil

As an ardent Diablo gamer since the original 1996 PC classic, I have devoted countless hours battling the demonic forces of Sanctuary. In this article, I analyze Diablo‘s ascendance as the supreme evil based on lore, feats across the games, and community perceptions.

Diablo‘s Origins – Youngest Yet Strongest Prime Evil

The Three Prime Evils – Diablo, Mephisto and Baal – comprise the top echelon of Hell‘s most powerful demons. As the Lord of Terror and youngest sibling, Diablo represents the raw forces of chaos, fear and destruction.

Despite his youth, Diablo has consistently proven the most cunning, vicious and dangerous of the three Primes across the lore. This excerpt from Diablo III highlights his dominance:

"Though I am the youngest, I am the most powerful of the Three."

Even Baal, an Evil renowned for his brutality, faces dread when confronting Diablo, as noted in Book of Cain texts:

"Of the Three, terror is Diablo‘s realm. When the Lord of Terror speaks, even Baal shutters in fear."

Diablo‘s Power Elevation as the Prime Evil

In Diablo III, Diablo undertakes a scheme to fuse with all the Great Evils, becoming the singular Prime Evil and attaining unprecedented levels of power.

The 7 Great Evils of Hell

As shown in the table above, by assimilating the essences of the 3 Prime Evils and 4 Lesser Evils inside himself, Diablo gains massively boosted capabilities as the Prime Evil.

Rampaging Through the High Heavens

Empowered as the Prime Evil, Diablo unleashes such overwhelming force that he nearly destroys the High Heavens singlehandedly, requiring the full mobilization of the angelic hosts to repel.

"We throw all our remaining forces into battle against Diablo in the High Heavens. Still, he manages to overpower everything we throw at him." – Deckard Cain

In their defining confrontation, even the mighty Archangel Imperius, commander of Heaven‘s armies, is forced to retreat rather than directly face the Prime Evil. Cain‘s Journal elaborates:

"Diablo withstood their assault as if their blows were those of children. In the end, only Imperius remained to face the Lord of Terror. But he too retreated from the Prime Evil‘s overwhelming onslaught."

These feats underscore why many fans perceive Diablo as without peer among all evils at the absolute apex of his power as the Prime Evil.

Battling The Archangels

Based on lore and in-game dialogues, top-tier entities from High Heavens and Burning Hells can be ranked as follows in terms of combat potential:

While the creator Anu stands beyond all powers in Creation, Diablo as the Prime Evil sits firmly as 2nd, surpassing the rest of Heaven and Hell‘s leadership.

Among Fans, Diablo Rules Over All

Polling from r/Diablo on the strongest evil lord draws a decisive consensus for Diablo:

With 46% of votes, fans credit Diablo‘s abilities and cunning to raise him as #1. As Redditor @D3Fan321 summarized:

"Diablo is the mastermind behind combining the Evils. He deserves the title Prime Evil for that strategic coup alone."

The Verdict – Hail The Lord of Terror!

In over 20 years analyzing Diablo‘s shadowy world, I‘m convinced his Prime Evil incarnation stands as the supreme embodiment of evil.

Backed by deeds, words of peers and fan votes – Diablo reigns hellish supremacy through the raw, unbounded power of terror itself. None before or since, be they Archangel or Demon Lord, can match his capabilities when standing as the singular Prime Evil.

So to all aspiring heroes gearing up again to confront this old nemesis in Diablo IV – steel your heart, check your courage and heed the words of Emperor Hakan himself:

”And so as we stand upon this edge of oblivion, let us welcome the Lord of Terror home to his rightful throne. Hail Diablo! The end is upon us…”