SI, there could be another way to involve Namor in restoring Shuri that has nothing to do with what you are mentioning. We've seen before in other mystical fiction that sometimes the answer involves certain individuals, because of who they are, not because of what they can do. For example, on Buffy's show, the people that needed to revive the Master were the people who were standing closest to the Master when he died.
Coates could have written a story that Namor was required to be there because he was the one who was Shuri's enemy. Thanos' forces may have done the deed, but they were only there because Namor and Shuri (heads of each of their states) were at war. Basically, Namor is an ingredient.
That's not to say this would make a good story, but there are ways to tell this story without minimizing Wakanda.
Not to mention that Namor was rolling with the Cabal during the events of TRO. It makes sense that he would have an idea of how to free someone from the "Neither Life or Death" prison.
Makes me wonder though...was Namor's death and the scrapping of that idea the reason why we have Shuri's journey in the Djalia?
Naw I think that was always planned.
I think instead of Eden going with T'challa, it would have been Namor though.
Leading to a "hug it out bitch" moment between T'challa, Shuri, and Namor and the hatchet being buried of sorts.
All of the above CAN be done, and of course any writer can make up fictitious reasons why thus and so happened in a fictitious universe...
...but that is utterly repulsive writing. Flies in the face of established history that impacts major characters who would be the entities to please and who would set the bar of acceptance for such behavior. And annihilate the soul of the offender.
Remember, brethren, I'm a research guy. And there is no way that Bast...either as Temptress or War Goddess/alternate expression of Sekhmet the Lion God...would let Namor in on her biz. Think about that. Namor. Scion of Neptune. Whose lineage extends through Rome, an Ancient ENEMY nation...as Rome was the enemy of the Ta-Seti prefectures and Empire.Didn't Bast in her War Goddess expression tell her OTHER son...Hannibal...what to do about the invading Romans? Yes. She did.
Now this SAME Bast/Sekhmet is going to countenance the Scion of an Enemy God from an Enemy Nation in on her holy Rites? A War Goddes. Countenancing the Scion of an ENEMY. In on her soulful biz with her Chosen Panthers. Does that not ring false, and forced, and disrespectful, and a chumping out of the pantheon of invincible Afrikan Gods, our History, and of both TChalla and Shuri, to you?
Does that not smell of:" Marvel has plans for Namor, so yall writers fix his public profile for me?" to my fellow HEFfers?
But if you insist that there is good in-story plot reasons for this chicanery, WITHOUT a as yet publicized order from Marvel Editorial about the fate of Namor? Consider how our own already written history has thousands of years of stories that run directly counter to what we see on page. There are plenty. PLENTY. Of Djaliah parallels in real Afrikan spiritual systems, myth, etc. None of them. None. Need an outsider, enemy of the state, Scion of an Enemy country [ ancient Rome ], enemy mythos, enemy God [ Neptune, who helped Namor flood Wakanda ] for any of their even most dicey and dangerous rituals to work. Maybe the HEART of an enemy. Maybe the WEAPON of the enemy, as a vessel bearing special spiritual energy. Maybe the BLOOD of an enemy, to smite his/her kin with vengeance eternal. But NONE OF OUR RITUALS would be needed or welcoming to or tolerated of our enemy's survival, or at least tolerant of a failure to enact massive, effective reprisals upon our enemy after such actions as Namor's. Battleworld truce be damned.
There is no way that brilliant. Prideful. Ruthless. Noble. Man with the Plan TChalla would even need to stoop to include an ENEMY OF THE STATE in on his plans to rescue his sister. Ask Mephisto, Achebe, Iron Man, Kraven, and all nem guys what TChalla does to people who are THE ENEMY OF THE STATE. TChalla should not go all Mephisto on Sub-mariner and tear Namor's heart out...but he should remind Namor that he...TChalla...TWICE spanked Namor under Hickman's pen. So TChalla should not scrap with Namor.
Shuri should drop them Wakanda dawgs on Namor when she returns.
It was Namor who sent Proxima Midnight and Thanos to Wakanda. Shuri personally OWES Namor personally...as opposed to Atlantis...a life threatening beatdown; as she already accomplished the destruction of much of Atlantis. From which Atlantis is yet to fully recover.
Not only does Shuri beating down Namor fit the "Big Up Black Women" flow in this narrative [ which I personally think is looong overdue, one of 3 important things that I give Coates props for...but which should never be done at the expense of TChalla or any other Royal, but instead should be done with an eye toward building up each character even more ] it evens up the score between Shuri and Namor. Under Maberry, Namor got the better of Shuri when Shuri went to avenge the injury Namor inflicted upon Wakanda with Namor's part in inducing TChalla into the ambush that nearly killed him and propelled Shuri into the Panther Habit. Namor caused the chain of events that caused Queen Storm of Wakanda to exchange her spirit for that of TChalla's in the Realm of Death. That right there gives Shuri TWO Wakandan Royals to avenge, and that right there all by itself warrants a THIRD beat down from TChalla to Namor and a savage savage beat down from Storm to Namor.
Shuri. Queen of Wakanda. Post Djaliah juice flowing. Should send that message: Step off, Son of Salmon [ not Son of Sam ]. And. NEVER EVER mess with The Queen of Wakanda.
Namor is extraordinary in every way. But. Namor is also a man who made amends with TChalla on Battleword because all Realities were at stake, and all but the Battleworld Reality was destroyed. A man who fought and defeated Shuri in battle. A man who is the Crown of Atlantis...mighty Atlantis...who has twice [ at least ] warred with The Shining City. The Golden City. A man who seduced Storm in a alternate reality, then taunted TChalla about it.
The Royals need to get all whooptastic on Namor's fins one more once. And NEVER. Let him near their spiritual issues. I don't see anyone remotely citing how Namor needs Wakanda to help rebuild Atlantis. Or. Needs Shuri to help return en masse the spirits of Atlanteans to their fabled undersea home. So screw Son of Salmon, and keep him away from Wakanda.
Because we all need to remind these fools. SEE WAKANDA...AND DIE.