WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wolverine #9 by Benjamin Percy, Adam Kubert, Frank Martin & VC's Cory Petit, on sale now

As one of the biggest superheroes of the past over half a century, Spider-Man has racked up an impressive number of villains over the years. While some have become major recurring threats, others have faded into obscurity. But sometimes, those villains -- or at least their tricks -- can make surprising returns to relevance.

In Wolverine #9, the Magnetic Man's gloves may not seem like the best item on sale at the Legacy House, but this gear created by a one-time Spider-Man villain might secretly be the key to combatting Wolverine.

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Magnetic Man gloves

At the Legacy House in Madripoor, Wolverine, in disguise as Patch, has found himself in the middle of an auction for various weapons, gear and memorabilia from across the history of the Marvel Universe. They range from costume elements like the mask Captain America was with when he was found by the Avengers to body parts like a severed hand from one of Wolverine's old bodies and even some notable symbolic objects, like Spider-Man's tombstone from "Kraven's Last Hunt. There are even some still functioning technology in there, such as a presumably operational Goblin Glider. But perhaps most potentially powerful are the gloves of the Magnetic Man.

Magnetic Man is a minor Marvel villain who, to date, has only appeared in a back-up story Amazing Spider-Man #662 by Frank Tieri, Javier Rodriguez, and VC's Joe Caramagna. The Magnetic Man had constructed a pair of magnetic gloves to help him rob banks and provide for his family. But his attempt was foiled by Spider-Man, who defeated him. The Magnetic Man was sent to prison for six years and returned to a completely changed world. Unable to find a job due to his criminal record and desperate for money to provide for his family, a desperate Magnetic Man came close to robbing another bank.

But again he was stopped -- this time by Peter Parker, who was out of costume and simply passing by. Parker offered some advice to Magnetic Man, and even offers him an entry-level position at Horizon Labs, which allows the Magnetic Man to walk away from the bank without committing a crime and potentially use his scientific knowledge for something that could actually help the world. He tearfully thanks Peter and calls his wife, unaware of just how close a relived Peter didn't have to put on his costume and attack him.

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While the Magnetic Man has shifted into obscurity, his technology quickly proves to be very effective at handling Wolverine. Thanks to his adamantium skeleton, the mutant hero has always been susceptible to attacks from enemies who could control that metal -- notably including Magneto, who once infamously tore the metal from his bones. The magnetic gloves of Magnetic Man effectively create a similar effect. While they might not be strong enough to rip the metal from his bones, the Legacy House auctioneer quickly throws on the gloves and incapacitates Wolverine in moments, holding the berserker at bay and announcing his intention to mind-wipe him and auction off his services. It's only thanks to a similarly captured Maverick that Wolverine is able to break free.

The existence of the Magnetic Man's gloves means that anyone with the magnetism abilities that are even a tenth of Magneto's power could potentially be capable of keeping Wolverine down. If that technology could be recreated by someone like the Krakoa-opposed XENO, then Wolverine's efforts could be countered in the simplest way possible. And with XENO and other mutant-hating groups at the auction and serving as a first-hand audience to Wolverine's unlikely capture, there's a good chance the Magnetic Man's gloves might all of a sudden start going for a high price.

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