With the 2023 release of Diablo 4 inching ever closer, Blizzard has been slowly but surely revealing the contents of the upcoming addition to its beloved franchise. The gaming behemoth has confirmed that the events of Diablo 4 will continue the story of Diablo 3. While the game's main villain has also been confirmed as the Daughter of Hatred, Lilith, there has been quite a lot of information regarding the game's lore that has yet to be revealed. One such question regards the return of certain characters that have appeared throughout the series, like the ever-helpful scholar Deckard Cain.
Fans of the Diablo series know Cain as the 'Elder of Tristram,' the main hub of the first Diablo game, and he has appeared in every game since in one way or another. In the original Diablo, Cain was an NPC who stood in the middle of the village and helped heroes throughout their journey. Unfortunately, he perished at the beginning of Diablo 3, so seeing the scholarly old man in the upcoming Diablo 4 gameplay is unlikely, but it would be well worth going through his story in anticipation of its release.
Growing Up Deckard Cain
Deckard Cain is a Horadric scholar who is well-versed in the obscure lore of Sanctuary and its arcane history. He is also said to be the last of the Horadrim, an ancient brotherhood of mages and wizards formed by the archangel Tyrael to stand against the three Prime Evils – the Lord of Destruction Baal, the Lord of Hatred Mephisto, and the titular Diablo, the Lord of Terror. In 1202, Deckard was born and raised in the Sanctuary village of Tristram to a tanner father and his mother, Aderes Cain, who insisted that Deckard take after her family's legacy and take the Cain name, rather than that of his father. Growing up, he and the other children of Tristram would gather around Aderes as she told tales of the great deeds of the Horadrim, of whom she was descended from.
Growing up, Deckard was proud of his heritage as a Horadrim and would often boast about being 'the last of the Horadrim.' He dreamed of fulfilling his legacy as a Horadrim, vanquishing evil and protecting all people from Caldeum to Khanduras in the name of justice. But, when Deckard lost his father to sickness, things started to take a turn for the worst and his faith in his mother started to dwindle.
He was always the scholarly type and whenever he wasn't out playing fetch or stealing eggs, he liked to gather history books. Driven by madness, Aderes decided to burn all those books, as she feels the only 'proper reading' was the texts written by Deckard's ancestor, Jered Cain. As a result, he lost interest in his mother's stories, believing them to be nothing more than fable, especially that of the existence of angels and demons – a belief that didn't age well in Diablo. Deckard left his home, and his mother declared him 'lost.'
Cain the Scholar
In his youth, Cain lived most of his life in the pursuit of knowledge, from studying 'archaic teachings' of Kehjistan, a city returning to Diablo 4, to that behind the Order of Zakarum. This continued to the point of near obsession, leading to tensions between him and his friends and family as he would shut them out completely in pursuit of knowledge, including his wife, Amelia and son, Jered, named after Deckard's ancestor. During his studies, he missed major moments of his son's life and he wasn't phased when Jered caught a fever that nearly took his life. Frustrated, Amelia would take Jered and leave Tristram, only for their wagon to be attacked by bandits, leading to their demise. Their deaths would haunt Deckard for the rest of his life.
In 1258, Leoric came to the land of Khanduras and in the name of Zakarum, declared himself king of the land and Tristram its capital. Remaining in Tristram, the scholar served as a tutor to Prince Aidan, who would become one of Diablo's most powerful characters during the events of the game. But as the years went by, King Leoric became increasingly tyrannical, imprisoning and executing all who questioned him, and Cain began recording his thoughts in a journal, which led him to reflect upon the stories that his now-deceased mother used to tell.
During the Darkening of Tristram, Deckard Cain poured over the books contained within the library of the Tristram Cathedral, specifically old Horadric texts. There lay the exact stories that his mother used to tell, and he couldn't help but notice that those texts treated angels and demons as not myth, but as true players in the history of Sanctuary. He also discovered that it was Jered Cain, his ancestor, who personally led the Horadrim party that pursued and captured Diablo. Through the descriptions provided by the Horadric texts, Cain was convinced that the King Leoric was somehow possessed by the demon Diablo, but never acted upon this knowledge.
Cain Within the Diablo Universe
Despite a majority of the residents of Tristram leaving as increasing numbers of horrific creatures started to roam the village at night, Cain stood steadfast and opted to stay. In the original Diablo game, players would take control of someone known simply as 'the hero' – whom Blizzard later in Diablo 3 retconned as Prince Aidan. Cain, alongside the few villagers who remained, would assist the Prince and his companions by giving advice and identifying items for a small fee. The Prince successfully defeated Diablo and prevented his return by driving the soulstone that contained Diablo into Aidan's head, in an attempt to contain the Lord of Terror within Aidan's own body.
During the four acts of Diablo 2, Diablo rapidly corrupts Prince Aidan and the Prince starts to lose control over the Lord of Terror's soul – leading to the release of Hell's demons once more onto Tristram. The player, a different nameless warrior, rescues Cain, and from then on Cain would be the hero's constant companion, offering to identify magical items free of charge and provide advice from his repertoire of ancient knowledge to once again defeat the demon Diablo.
Cain returns once more in Diablo 3 as a supporting character. The player character, known as the Nephalem regardless of which Diablo 3 class they choose, is implored by Cain's ward Leah to rescue the scholar from the ruins of Tristram Cathedral which had been struck by a 'fallen star.' The three discover that the 'fallen star' is actually a person, who they refer to as 'the Stranger,' who has no memories aside from knowing that he lost his sword. The Nephalem recovers the sword that was shattered into three pieces, but their efforts were quickly thwarted by the witch Maghda who seizes the sword shards and captures Cain.
At the end of Act 1 of the polarizing Diablo 3, the witch tortures Cain to force him to fix the sword using his magical abilities, but he refuses, and is tortured further to the point of death. In an uncontrolled display of power, Leah wipes out Maghda's minions and Maghda flees, but not before taking the Stranger with her and leaving Leah with a dying Cain. With his last of his strength, he magically repairs the sword, revealing its angelic origins, and implores the player to return the sword to its master. The rest of Diablo 3 is spent avenging Cain's death and fulfilling his final request.
Will Cain Return to Diablo 4?
With Lilith, the mother of humankind, returning to Sanctuary, Diablo 4 lacks a scholarly character to guide players on their journeys. Although the beloved character's return to Diablo 4 is highly unlikely, it won't be too surprising if Blizzard decided to make it happen one way or another. Perhaps Deckard Cain will return as a spirit, or somehow be reincarnated; whatever the answer, it remains to be seen.
Diablo 4 is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.