Though Marvel's free-to-play RPG, Avengers Alliance , has tied some of its missions to comic books in the past, it has never attempted to integrate its turn-based RPG world into a current, ongoing storyline. Today the publisher has confirmed to IGN that it plans to pull its popular Facebook/mobile game into the upcoming Infinity comic book storyline , a galactic adventure that brings the all-powerful Thanos back to the forefront of Marvel Comics ahead of his cinematic role in upcoming films.

Infinity #1 Cover

"The Infinity story line centers around Thanos of Titan," said TQ Jefferson, Marvel's Vice President of Game Development. "Thanos, for those of you that don’t know, is a galactic pirate, serial killer and self-proclaimed consort of Death itself. In Infinity, Thanos is in search for something, and that quest brings him to Earth and into conflict with every hero our world can muster. Avengers Alliance is aligning with Marvel Publishing by releasing an Infinity-dedicated Spec Op precisely when the Infinity storyline kicks into high gear."Jefferson pointed to similar Alliance efforts with last year's "X-Men vs. Avengers" comic book event. That integration allowed players to unlock Magik and play through a storyline that loosely resembled what was happening in print while still reflecting Alliance's own particular continuity. With Infinity, Marvel not only plans to introduce new Spec Ops missions involving Thanos and other villains, but a brand-new reward hero and even an entirely new character to the universe.Of course, with millions of players continuously accepting missions in Avengers Alliance, Marvel stands to actually expose more gamers to comics than the other way around. To this end, the publisher plans to offer qualifying players a free digital comic book when they complete the Infinity mission. "This is a huge step in building stronger ties between Games and Publishing here at Marvel," said Jefferson. Alliance has existed for just over a year, and has grown immensely since its launch. Seattle-based developer Playdom has more than doubled the number available storyline missions since the game's launch, and plans to introduce another 12 quests in the upcoming "second season," which is due to begin in the near future. Producer Justin Woods also noted the available number of heroes has grown to over 60 in that same timeframe, plus the addition of new villains, PVP options, gameplay features, and more.Of course, with so much content already added, potential newcomers might wonder if they're already too far behind in the Alliance saga. Woods swears that isn't the case. "If you haven't played Marvel: Avengers Alliance yet, now is a great time to start," Woods said. "Season 2 has a brand new story with no prior knowledge of past events necessary to enjoy it -- but of course you can always go back and play Season 1."Avengers Alliance can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/avengersalliance. The game is also available through Apple's Appstore, though the iOS and Facebook versions of the game currently don't share data. The game is free - if you're a Marvel fan, it can't hurt to jump in and check it out. Marvel Comics' Infinity event, written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by an all-star team of Jimmy Cheung, Jerome Opena and Dustin Weaver, launches its first issue on August 14.

Rich was raised on Marvel Comics, and has been reading the adventures of X-Men and Spider-Man for over 20 years. Chat with him about everything going on in the Marvel Universe by following and harassing him on Twitter @RichIGN