The Punisher made his first appearance in the pages of "The Amazing Spider-Man #129" in February 1974. He was originally going to be a second-string character due to his penchant for killing, but due to his popularity, he became a more prominent figure in the larger Marvel Universe.
When Frank chooses a car to steal, he ignores multiple European sports cars and chooses a Ford Mustang. In the US Marine Corps, "mustang" is a term used for an enlisted man who comes up through the ranks--either through battlefield promotion or Officer Candidate School--and becomes an officer. This is a fairly rare type of promotion that both Frank Castle and Billy Russo are heavily implied to have had during their service.
Stan Lee has a cameo in a poster like the other Marvel-Netflix series, but it's brief and very easy to miss.
This series is a spin-off from the first Marvel Netflix series, Demolidor (2015), which featured Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) in that series' second season. Development on the series began by January 2016, and Netflix ordered the series that April when the involvement of Bernthal and Steve Lightfoot was confirmed.