Thomas Avery was a victim of the rapid skin growth toxin. Avery, a newspaper vendor, was given a two-dollar-bill that was infected with the rapid skin growth toxin. While discussing classic films with Joanne, Avery's orifices suddenly began to seal over. His mouth and eyes were quickly covered, suffocating him. He fell to the ground as the Observer passed by, and writhed until his death. His body was later taken to the lab of Walter Bishop, who, with the help of Astrid Farnsworth, was able to slice open the pores and capture some of the gas trapped in Avery's body into an IV bag. ("Ability")