Polarity Gauntlet

Polarity gauntlets grant the user a powerful control over the forces of magnetism. They can be used to draw objects to or push metal away from the wielder, as well as magnetizing metal objects in various ways. For a race of beings made largely out of metal such as the Transformers, such a weapon is a force to be reckoned with. The devices were invented by the Decepticons during the Great War.

Prime cartoon
Somehow, a polarity gauntlet found its way to Earth and became buried in rock. The intense magnetic field it generated alerted both the Autobots and Decepticons. Breakdown found the gauntlet first, but ended up fighting with first Airachnid and then Bulkhead and Arcee over it. He used the weapon to create a magnetic bubble that lifted the two Autobots into the air and then to throw them into some rocks, with the added side effect that Arcee and Bulkhead were magnetically fused together. Breakdown attempted to return the gauntlet to the Nemesis, only to be ambushed by Airachnid, who relieved him of the weapon. The Autobots came looking and attacked Airachnid, blasting the gauntlet out of her hand, and it again activated, beginning to draw everything metal in the vicinity toward it. The power pulled Breakdown free of the webbing he was imprisoned in, and he deactivated the gauntlet, later using it to disassemble an oil derrick and drop a chunk on Bulkhead. The gauntlet spent some time being knocked around on the ground until Airachnid picked it up and used it to pull Arcee to her, forcing the Autobot to fight her while their respective hands were stuck to the gauntlet. Arcee eventually managed to wrestle it off her and use it to polarize everyone so they would repel metal, including the missile Breakdown fired at Bulkhead. Finally, Airachnid attempted to make off with the device, only to be thrown into Breakdown, subsequently becoming stuck to him. Arcee and Bulkhead took the gauntlet back to base and gave it to Ratchet for safekeeping, warning him not to use it indoors.

The polarity gauntlet was removed from storage by Bumblebee when the Autobots were preparing to fight for Cybertron's future. He used it to drop debris on the Decepticons and reclaim the four Omega Keys, once Bulkhead had used the Immobilizer on the Vehicons holding them. Bumblebee was forced to discard the gauntlet after the Decepticons took the kids hostage.

The Decepticons recovered the gauntlet at some point and stored it in their vault. The Autobots retrieved it in preparation for battle against Unicron. Bumblebee used it to temporarily hold back Unicron from beating on Optimus, allowing the Autobot leader to go secure the AllSpark.

Foreign names

 * Japanese: Ultra magnet (ウルトラマグネット Urutora magunetto)