Gentlemen, the Nine Hells have a dedicated hierarchy due to Devils being Lawful Evil. Asmodeus is clearly the architect/Lord of the Nine. Does the Abyss have any sort of hierarchy? Are the Demon Lords all equal in terms of power? They are not equal, but they don’t truly know who is mightiest until the fight each other. Until then, they fight via the proxy through the demons they control.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 22, 2018
Would/could a lesser demon work to supplant a Demon Lord, like Demogorgon or Fraz-Urb’luu? Oh yes, they constantly plot to do so
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 22, 2018