I think I've come up with something that I think is at least somewhat feasible, based on this quote from a Barbarian prophecy (from one of the Diablo books, I think):
The Prophecy said:
And a child will cradle Terror in his breast as the heart of man falls under the shadow.
A Wanderer will pass through the ancient lands trailing chaos in his wake.
The Three Brothers will be reunited as the mortal world trembles before their might.
And so it was foretold that the Three, once reunited, would be shattered again—
Their defeat would be illusory—that the final gambit had yet to be played..."
"And now at last the storm surges forth from the southlands, and the hand of Destruction
Reaches out to undo the workings of the Ancients. The tides of Hell surge—ready to smash
Down upon the shores of the mortal world — to drown the guilty and the innocent alike.
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The question I had was, what is this "final gambit"? This is what I came up with.
People have been theorizing for years that Tyrael could be the bad guy in Diablo 3, based on some reactions from townspeople in Act 5 after you defeat Baal, as well as other bits of information. I was one of the people supporting this theory, until recently, when I saw Diablo in the Diablo 3 trailer.
I have no doubt that Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto will all be in Diablo 3. The above quote supports that, as well. However, the question still remains about what the final gambit is.
Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto have to come back somehow, obviously. We destroyed Diablo and Mephisto's soulstones in Diablo 2, and Baal's soulstone was damaged already, so when we killed him, he should have in theory been gone forever. On the surface, there seems to be no way that they could come back. However, the prophecy says that their defeat is "illusory," so we can assume that they are either not gone, or have returned.
My theory on this: Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto conspired with Tyrael. The Three Brothers wanted the Worldstone destroyed so that the legions of Hell could flood into Sanctuary and into Heaven. However, Tyrael couldn't simply just waltz into the Worldstone Chamber and destroy it without raising some sort of alarm. Tyrael, on the surface, seems like a very helpful and concerned angel, guiding the heroes through Act 4 and "saving the world" in Act 5. This way, nobody really questions his decision to destroy the Worldstone, at least in any sort of hindering way.
What's the conspiracy between The Three Brothers and Tyrael, though? I think they set things up where when the Worldstone was destroyed, they were able to return. This is why Tyrael destroys it, in the end. To free The Three Brothers, as well as break the barrier between Sanctuary and Heaven and Hell. This explains why he claims that the Worldstone was "corrupted" by Baal, and why it must be destroyed, despite what the prophecies said.
This explains what the prophecy above was saying. The defeat of The Three Brothers was illusory, to give people a false sense of security. This is the "Final Gambit." Now, The Three Brothers can not only return, but they can bring the legions of Hell right along with them, and people won't be expecting it.
Well that's my theory, anyway. It could be completely wrong. Tyrael might not be involved in the whole plan afterall. However, I think that he would be able to know that the Worldstone had been set up to bring the Brothers back, or that the Worldstone shouldn't be destroyed since it essentially opens Heaven and Hell up to Sanctuary, which would probably be worse than any sort of corruption Baal caused on the Worldstone.