From among the cast of thousands that appear to play a role in the regulation of programmed cell death, p53 has emerged as one of the leading stars. p53 is a protein of many talents, including activation of cell cycle arrest, senescence, and differentiation. The special appeal of p53, however, is as an apoptotic superhero, a protein that functions to selectively destroy stressed or abnormal cells, thereby protecting the organism from cancer development. The key contribution of p53's apoptotic activity to tumor suppression raises two quintessential questions: what spurs p53 into action and how does p53 implement the death sentence? Several recent publications have thrown some interesting light on both issues.