[Optimus Vader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peteparker

Actually, there were at least two different Venoms between these guys, but Eddie and Mac had the symbiote the longest thus far, aside from Peter Parker.

It's mostly artistic style. Back in the late 80's/early 90's when Eddie Brock first debuted, he was enormous. He was taller, and more filled out than Schwartzeneiger. It was meant to be a juxtoposition to Peter Parker, who was skinny, small, and gangly. The difference in size coupled with Peter's inability to 'spider sense' Eddie in the symbiote was meant to be the ultimate challenge to Peter's abilities.

As time went on, Venom became more and more scaled down, so that around the time of the Maximum Carnage story, he was just a little bigger than Peter.

Mac Gargan, on the other hand, has always been equal to Peter, if not a little smaller. His scorpion suit put him on an even playing field with Spidey when he first came out in the mid-60's. When he purchased the symbiote after it was put up for auction, it manifested itself differently on him, again making the Venom character much bigger than Spider-Man, and one of the powerhouse characters in the Marvel Universe once more. (Albeit on a much smaller scale than people like Colossus, Thing, and Hulk).

In the end, it's just the difference between how artists interpret the character, which translates to the figures. Though you could say that the Stretch Strike Venom is probably the most accurate and true size of the character in general.

Good stuff. Thanks, Pete. While you were typing that I was reading up on Mac a little.. I had no idea he was given superhuman powers through chemical and radiological treatments when he was first Scorpion.