I admit to being unknowledgeable about the extensive Marvel universe.

I’ve seen very few Marvel superhero movies (the ones I have seen are limited to “The Amazing Spider Man,” “The Avengers” and the first 20 minutes of “Iron Man”). I don’t fangirl over muscular men in tights saving the world from diabolical villains, and the only comic book I’ve ever read is “Watchmen,” which isn’t even Marvel.

So how I ended up at Forum 8 for the opening weekend of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a mystery to me. Did I see the first “Captain America” film? No. Am I a Chris Evans fanatic? Not even a little bit. Did I know anything about this superhero other than the fact that he sports a red, white and blue uniform and wields a shield? Nope. Nada. Not at all.

But I found a pleasant surprise in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” You can come in completely blind, without being lost.

If you haven’t seen the 2011 first installment, “Captain America: The First Avenger,” the sequel gives you a quick rundown — scrawny soldier Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) undergoes an experiment which turns him into super soldier Captain America, who is ultimately frozen for 70 years after saving the world.

“The Winter Soldier” picks up two years after the Battle of New York from “The Avengers.” Captain America is working for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (better known as S.H.I.E.L.D.), where he kicks bad-guy butt with Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and other agents on a daily basis.

But when Captain America discovers Black Widow obtaining data during a seemingly routine mission, things get complicated. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised. Leading agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is ambushed and barely manages to get an ominous message to Captain America: “Trust no one.”

Now Captain America must figure out what is encrypted in the data that Black Widow obtained, who is behind the plot, and, most importantly, who he can trust. Can he depend on fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)? Ex-soldier Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie)? Nurse neighbor Kate (Emily VanCamp)? Senior S.H.I.E.L.D. official Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford)?

On top of all of this, he is pursued by the mysterious Winter Soldier, a super villain with an impossibly strong metal arm.

“The Winter Soldier” is everything one could hope for in a Marvel superhero movie. It’s packed with explosions, stunts, outlandish weapons and technology, high-speed car chases, a big reveal, sexy sidekicks, snark, badass action sequences and the signature cameo from Stan Lee, the comic’s creator. There’s even a reference to “Pulp Fiction,” which I, admittedly, missed until a friend later pointed it out (be on the lookout for Ezekiel 25:17). Despite the long runtime, “The Winter Soldier” never lags.

While Marvel’s latest is a ton of fun, it also delivers complex, dare I say dark, undertones to Evans’ character. Captain America is disoriented in time, 70 years after the only world he ever knew. His best friend Bucky, and not to mention most of the people he knew in his former life, is dead. His “main girl,” Peggy (Hayley Atwell) is now old and affected by Alzheimer’s.

But this is also where the movie gets much of its comic start. Captain America keeps a pop culture to-do list, including Marvin Gaye, “Star Wars”/”Trek”, and Nirvana. The balance between the humor and depth is one of the film’s many strengths.

After the obligatory big battle, “The Winter Soldier” sets up a third installment to the Captain America movies, which is already slotted for a 2016 release date.

“The Winter Soldier” is action-packed, funny and intelligent. And you don’t have to see the first film or read the comics or virtually know anything about Captain America to be entertained.