The fact that simu liu could get hacked on twitter and a hacker could legit post every single stock image meme of him ever and we’d be like “ha ha simu so iconic”
The rings gave him immortality, which should include being protected from soul suckers (even if for a while), and this is supported by the fact that he didn’t die initially, cf. everyone else whose souls left them almost immediately. Wenwu’s soul only left him after he gave up the rings. He 100% could have used the rings to fight back or at least free himself even if he didn’t have the right energy to kill the Dweller in Darkness (I’m assuming Shangqi could because of the power from the Dragon). So it wasn’t a matter of having to sacrifice himself so Shangqi could escape.
My take is he chose to die to be with Ying Li after finally realising that he can’t bring her back. She was more important to him than anything: certainly more than the rings (which he first gave up for her), and even more than his children (whom he let go of and only reached out to once he thought he could get her back again). So if she couldn’t come back to him, he would follow her, by giving up the rings a second time.
