In science-denialist narratives, the “dissentient expert” is a recurrent martyr-like protagonist who appears in relation to various denialist agendas, from anti-vaccination efforts to climate change denial. The narrative follows a script where a brilliant expert detects that the scientific establishment is holding back essential information from the public in order to promote its own interests. At high personal cost, the expert turns against their own community and goes on a mission to make the suppressed information public. Subsequently, they are endorsed as an information source—or even beacon—by the denialist community. We showcase this script in a text analysis, and argue that its effectiveness stems from the protagonist’s meeting of all the criteria for epistemic trust in experts, especially the criterion of benevolence. Additionally, these protagonists, who would be regarded as renegades by most, are perceived as martyr-like, heroic role models by the denialist community. It is these characteristics that distinguish the protagonist from conventional experts and make them more trustworthy. We suggest ways to harness the insights from this recurring script for pro-scientific communication.